


In This We Found The Darkness

by Lupy180



Series: The League of Shadows [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Action, Angst, Bane (DCU) - Freeform, Barsad - Freeform, Character is a Badass, F/M, Flashbacks, Gotham City - Freeform, Love/Hate, Mercenaries, Movie 3: Dark Knight Rises (2012), Roughness, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 08:20:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11353542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupy180/pseuds/Lupy180
Summary: Simone is one of the top mercenaries in the league of the shadows. Well, she almost was until she left on her own accord and moved to Gotham. She was aware the fire was coming. It had already been started by Talia and Bane. She just wasn't aware how fast fire could spread. Especially when she's reunited with a certain second in command mercenary. Someone she cared too much for. Then there's Bane, the man who trained her, broke her, and reshaped her into the strong survivor she became. Each left some kind of mark on her frail heart. Now that their back she begins to find that time doesn't heal all wounds. And she's asked with one simple question.Bane or Barsad?





	1. Ticking Clock

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: fanfic is rated Explicit for violence, language, sexual references and sexuality read With caution. 
> 
> Disclaimer:   
> I do not own anything that had to do with the dark knight rises movie. This is just a fan fiction I do not own Bane, Barsad, Talia, or anyone else I only own my character Simone and a few others.

Simone approached the navy blue truck and came to a halt. It was empty, like the big open parking lot she was standing in. She brushed her wavy hazelnut hair behind her ears and looked around one last time. Her arms crossed over her chest. Damn it was cold out and she was cursing herself for only wearing a black long jon shirt and a pair of black jeans. Her black boots were the only things doing their job in keeping her feet warm. At least she had that.

When she saw that she really was alone she peaked up at the big light pole and figured if there was a camera on it probably couldn't get a good view of her. The light was off and it was like every other night in Gothom. Black. Pitch black at that. If it wasn't for all the training when she joined the League of Shadows she probably wouldn't be able to see much. It was in those specific times that she was thankful for that. Her eyes adjusted well and she was happy for that.

While it was possible there was a camera around somewhere and it could have had night vision she decided to shrug her shoulders and chose money over anything else. It was what she needed to survive after all. Rent, clothes, food, bills, and weapons weren't free. If they were she certainly wouldn't live like a mercenary. She pulled the slim Jim out from behind her. The thin piece of metal fit perfectly and all she had to do was move it just right. She gave it a good jerk then pulled up and the lock to the truck clicked. She was in.

She hopped into the truck and leaned forward to dig for wires. With a truck like the one she just scored she was looking at a pay of 2000 dollars. It wasn't the silver Bugatti that her friend Ray had been wanting but Ray wasn't a picky man and would take what ever he could from anything and then scrap the rest. She may not have alot of friends but she sure had the right kind.

As soon as the truck turned over she turned the lights on and began to drive the truck out of the dark parking lot. She finally came out into a main road where there were actual lights and other people. She felt her heart speed up and her hands gave a little tremble. Just because she stole many cars before did not mean that she ever lost her nerves while on a job. There were always cops around and while Harvey Dent was crazy enough to put away most of the mob before he died there was still far worse out there. Worse than dirty cops, worse than thugs, and worse than her.

After joining the League of Shadows she had seen and done things that haunted her dreams every single night. Some nights she would rather do jobs like stealing cars and beating the crap out of people than resting her head on a pillow and closing her eyes. If she didn't close her eyes she couldn't see what haunted her. If she stayed awake she could just bury those memories at the back of her head and focus on doing something. Anything. So there she was, stealing some pour bastard's truck at 2 in the morning.

She stopped the truck at a red light and pressed her back into the cold leather seats. Heat was blasting on her and quite frankly she was getting tired.

"Come on, come on. Turn green." She mumbled to herself as she tapped her slender fingers on the steering wheel.

When her phone vibrated in her back pocket she nearly jumped out of her skin. She pulled out her outdated smart phone and pressed the answer button. There was only one person that would call her at 2 in the morning. Ray.

"Hey, I'm almost there." She informedd.

"Well what's taking so long?" Ray's smooth voice sounded a little impatient.

She brought her green eyes to the red light. It still didn't turn green. Now it was just testing her luck. Maybe a Gotham police man would pull up behind her and run her tags cause he is bored and will discover she stole it. It sounded like the story of her life. She found out the hard way many times that rock bottom had a basement and she had landed in that place one too many times.

"I'm at a God damn punishment light." She looked around and saw that there wasn't anyone coming.

"A punishment light?" Ray asked. "Sounds kinky."

She let out a sigh and gripped the steering wheel so tight her white knuckles nearly poked right out of her skin. "Its been red for like 5 minutes and it's still red. There's no one around and no one coming so I'm feeling like I'm being punished." She explained.

"Well I got the garage open for you. Just park the truck inside. I'll come out once I hear you." Ray replied.

She hung up her phone and looked back at the light. Still fucking red. She tapped on the gas and the truck jumped forward a bit. Finally the light turned green and she proceeded to Ray's shop.

Ray's shop was an interesting story. In a short story, Ray was a car mechanic during the day and he ran a little "chop shop" at night. He takes parts from stolen cars and uses them on cars he fixes during the day. While he charges for the parts and his labor he makes a decent paycheck every week. A hell of a lot more than Simone made.

Simone pulled into the chop shop and parked the truck. Ray emerged from the little office in blue coveralls with his name embroided at the left side of his chest. Ray was a decent looking man with thick dark brown hair and melting chocolate eyes. He had a full on beard on his face and while she never really had feelings for her friend she had to admit he was smoking. Not to mention his life as a mechanic gave him a perfect sculpted body. She would know. She had seen it one day when she walked in the garage one day and caught him screwing some blonde on someone's car.

"What you got there?" Ray asked as he approached the truck.

"A decent truck, runs pretty damn good and has good heating. No dents, no damages inside, and has a damn near full tank of gas." She answered.

Ray shut the trunk off and popped the hood. He leaned over the hood and studied all the parts. "So far it looks so good." He brought his watery brown eyes to her and then hopped in it again.

The car horn blared and Simone jumpedd, turning to the truck. Ray jumped out laughing at her.

"Simone what was that?" He asked as he walked across the garage and pressed the big button on the wall to shut the garage door.

Simone let out a sigh. "Nothing. Just sometimes I get a little jumpy." She lied as she felt her heart hammer into her chest. She was wide awake now.

"Your always jumpy. I don't know why. I've seen you take down men twice my size. What do you have to be afraid of?" Ray asked.

She never told Ray anything of her past. She didn't plan to either. The League of Shadows was behind her and that's how she wanted it. So instead she just forced a teasing smile.

"And I've watched you take out 3 men at once yet you still keep a crowbar hidden in them damn overalls. I think I should be asking you that question."

Ray nodded his head. "Touché. Alright so I'll give you 1800 for the truck and you can head on home." Ray was quick to change the subject.

Simone brought her eyes to the black clock ticking on the wall of the garage.

Tick tock

The second hand kept jumping forward.

Tick tock

She didn't like clocks. They kept ticking and it was a constant reminder to her that time for her would eventually run out. It always ticked away.

Tick tock.

An image flashed in her mind before she could think of anything else. A man with a mask came to her view. It looked like a muzzle covering his mouth and hooking around his cheeks and over his bald head. His tall figure towered over her like a sky scraper and she felt her heart pound.

"I hope you know that I am smart. Certainly smarter than you since you thought you could leave without me finding out."

She felt sweat appear above her brow. She considered fighting him and balled her small hands into fists, preparing to act on impulse. Bane's face may have been covered by the mask but she could see it all in those cold blue eyes. He was laughing at her.

"You want to leave? Fine. Only when you beat me will I let you go. But know that out there in the world. All on your own. . . We will cross paths again. And more importantly, you wont see me coming." He proposed.

It had taken her 6 tries before she finally decided to spike his water with a heavy sedative. And like a coward she ran.

That was years ago and she knew her time was coming to an end very soon. She feared what would happen when her and Bane crossed paths. And it was coming soon. Even sooner than she realized. When her eyes went to the office she saw several newspaper clippings about an agent going missing. That masked man popped in her head again.

Ray came out of the office with a big stack of 20s in his hand.

"Simone? You alright?" Ray asked.

Simone snapped out of her thoughts and gave her head a nod. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just extremely tired." She lied and held out her hand to take the money.

Ray gave her the money and she generously tucked it away in her front pocket. They looked at each other one last time.

"Same time tomorrow night?" Ray asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. I might be doing something else."

"Like what?"

Like packing my shit and running.

She thought about it. But where would she go? Who would she trust to do dirty work with her because she certainly couldn't work a legal job. Then her name would be in a database and then a paper trail would pop up. She let out a sigh and erased that idea quickly.

"Nevermind. I'll be here with a new car. Keep the cash coming and I'll keep the vehicles coming." She replied.

Ray looked over her with worry. "Go home, Simone. Get some damn sleep."

She nodded her head and approached the old white Jetta. Home it was then. Her home was literally five minutes away but she was too tired again to walk. Maybe she would just make herself a cup of coffee and stare off into space the rest of the night. It felt like a good idea.

Simone lived in an apartment building with three floors and hers was the third floor. She walked up the old beaten down steps and rubbed her hand down her face, trying to wake herself up. The hallway light flickered and she suddenly became alert. Her eyes opened wide as she approached the door that had 3A on it. It was ajar. She never left her door unlocked.

Someone was in her apartment.


	2. Reminiscence of the fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simone and The League of Shadows. Somethings just never go away.

Simone pressed her back into the wall and listened to the heavy shuffling in her apartment. She stayed quiet and pulled out the slim Jim from the back of her pants. Whoever was in there was about to get a nice big smack to reality. Just because Simone was a girl it did not mean that she would cower and run away. She had gone against worse, seen worse, and definitely did worse than any kind of thug in Gotham city.

With her heart jamming into her chest she took a deep breath and prepared for a fight. She kicked her red door open and held the metal in her hand up above her head. It was still completely dark in her apartment but the light from the hallway helped her make out the general shape of the people. Not person but people. She counted four when she spotted them and they were quick assholes when they dispersed. She jumped over the big leather couch and swung her weapon at the closest person.

The tall person ducked and grabbed her wrist. She swallowed her scream of pain as the man twisted her wrist until she finally dropped the weapon and a loud thud echoed through the room. She kicked the intruder in his chest and turned with a swinging fist at the next opponent. He was a bit smaller than she expected so she ended up close-lining him but she didn't care. As long as she got them to drop that was all that mattered.

“Not the gun. He said alive.” She heard a certain thick accent and couldn't believe it.

The League of Shadows in her very own apartment. They must have been looking for her and not her belongings.The man who was talking wasn't just some street thug. He was Bane’s second in command and his name was Barsad. He was someone that Simone had gotten close to. Someone she confided in and trusted. But that was years ago. Over 7 years at that and Simone really didn't feel like going back.

So she kicked herself into high gear, embraced the adrenaline that was soaring through her veins and elbowed the man approaching her. She heard a crack and was pretty sure she broke his nose. Poor bastard.

Barsad's shadowed figure was next and he was coming after her fast. She dived over her couch and stuffed her hand in the small opening beneath the couch. She had guns stashed all over the apartment for reasons like this. The tips of her fingers felt nothing but couch material. The gun was gone.

Fuck.

She pulled her hand out and managed to jump on her feet again just as Barsad was reaching for her. A few more steps til she could gain access to her next weapon. In a split second she ran into the kitchen and crawled under her small square kitchen table. There was always a small hand gun taped to the bottom of it. She reached up and felt along the underside of the wooden table.

“Looking for your gun? We already grabbed them. It's pointless.”  
Barsad's voice was right behind her.

She tried crawling out from under the table but a pair of hands gripped her ankles and hauled her back into the open space. She remained steady against the linoleum floor until she had enough room again. She was rolled on to her back and waited. She just needed to give it one more second.

When she saw the other men getting up she kicked someone in the face and tripped another man before getting up and running. They couldn't have taken every single gun she had. She had good hiding spots for them. A hand grabbed her arm but she just turned and threw her fist into that guys face while kicking him in the stomach. He fell to the floor and she leaped over him. She had just barely gotten to the TV stand when a pair of hands yanked her off her feet.

SLAMMM!

Her face collided with the corner of the TV stand and her vision went black for a second. That was gonna hurt when the adrenaline wore off. She reached out and grabbed the nightstand. A fake side of the TV stand fell to the floor. She reached forward and again no damn gun.

Oh, they were good.

“I already said we have all your guns. What part of this make no sense to you?” Barsad asked.

The lamp in her living room flicked on and she saw one mercenary knocked out on the floor. Another was holding his hand over his nice and blood was dripping over his lip. Beside him stood a man that a bit short but otherwise looked perfectly fine. They were all in the same outfit from long ago. Dark army pants with black combat boots and dark jackets with protective armor around their bodies.

Simone's green eyes searched her apartment and she was amazed that she didn't trip on anything. Her neatly placed home was turned upside down. Her TV must have fallen when she tripped and slammed her face into the TV stand. Some of the chairs in her small kitchen were laying on the floor and her clothes were all streamed all across the floor. There were even papers and other miscellaneous things scattered on the floor.

Then she finally let out a huff, giving up. If they tore her apartment up as bad as it looked then they found every single gun she owned. Barsad was the one holding her ankles again and he had his grip so tight that it was beginning to make her legs go numb.

“Let's try this one more time. Aye?” Barsad asked.

Simone didn't reply she just laid there steaming in anger. When he rolled her over a big smile spread across his face making little creases in his wide forehead appear. He looked a little different since she last saw him. Age was beginning to wear on the mercenary. His eyes looked like they were sinking in his skull and his hair appeared to be a bit longer, more scruffy. And he had a five o'clock shadow going on. That 7 years really did a difference on the man.

His lips move up and she could see his perfect white teeth. “Your furniture got you good. You're gonna be supporting that shiner for a while. A month at least.”

“You think it's funny?” She snapped.

“You knock out one of my men and give another a broken nose. I think it's hilarious.” Barsad broke out into a little chuckle.

She tried pulling her ankles out of his grip but it only caused him to clamp his hands even tighter. Her adrenaline began to wear off so she felt it and hissed in pain.

“I let you go and you be good. Maybe Bane won't be too mad when we bring you back.” Barsad offered.

She really didn't want to go see him. As a matter of fact she wanted nothing to do with the League of Shadows but she already knew the drill. No point in getting herself hurt even more. So she nodded her head and waited for him to let go. When he released her she slowly stood up and felt the true nature of gravity.

Shit did her eye hurt. It suddenly throbbed and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Oh it was painful. She declared that her next home would be filled with nothing but bean bag chairs and really soft couches so it couldn't happen again.

“Force of gravity. It really sucks.” Barsad chuckled some more.

“Can I at least grab some clothes? I know Bane won't want me coming back.” She requested.

Barsad rolled his lips into his mouth, thinking about it. “No, we have enough of your clothes. You don't need any more. Ooh. Except for . . . Maybe these.”

He leaned down and picked up her dark green army thong that was on the floor. Of course he would do that. Barsad and her had a history together. He had taken her virginity when she was in her late teens and even though it was supposed to be a one-time-thing it somehow turned into the fuck-whenever-they-could deal. She knew it wasn't supposed to mean anything but for some reason whenever the two were alone together they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Aside from the two of them being old fuck buddies Barsad also did something that she was really grateful for. Not only had he given her a way to find some type of crutch in the dark world she was growing up in, but he also helped her escaped. It was a secret that he still obviously kept to himself. If Bane knew that he gave her the drug and the ride to the airport he probably would have never made it all those years.

“Army print. My favorite.” He picked them up and placed them in his pants.

Simone rolled her eyes in annoyance and looked at the other guys. They remained quiet, not daring to say anything. Barsad grabbed his G36C rifle and placed the strap around his shoulder before grabbing her.

“Wait, can I please just get a jacket? It's cold outside.” She requested.

“Too bad.” Barsad growled as we headed for my door.

She was slightly hoping that the cops would have been called because then she could've escaped them. But then she would have to explain to the cops why she had 8 guns and 3 illegal knives along with her bow and arrows. So she figured going to see the masked man was better than any other options.

“Too bad? Barsad it's freezing out!” She tried stopping herself but Barsad was dragging her.

Then she saw a look in his face. In his blue eyes it said it all. He was mad at her for leaving. He wanted her to stay but she had somehow coerced him into helping her leave. She thought about it and realized she was possibly his redemption back then. When she left she must have taken any little chance he had to stay human and live in a life if light. Just like when she left him behind she had abandoned any chance she had of escaping her own darkness.

So when he told her too bad it was because he wanted her to deal with it just as she made him long ago.

“You're mad at me for leaving. Aren't you?” She asked.

He didn't answer he just kept walking, dragging her down the stairs. The two mercenaries behind them were dragging the man she knocked out and when she stepped outside she gasped at the cold breeze. Only in Gotham could it get so cold. Barsad held her close a small smirk growing on his face. Not just any smirk. That damn “I Won” smirk that he always gave off.

“Careful with all that smiling and smirking. It makes your aging more visible.” She teased as she walked with this down the alley.

Barsad tightened his grip so tight she squirmed and gasped in surprise. He dragged her next to him and leaned down so his warm breath could kiss her ear.

“I may be getting old, but I can still make you squirm with my hands.” He spoke between clenched teeth.

She felt a chill run down her spine and it wasn't from the cold wind blowing. After a minute of walking she tried reaching down for her phone as they turned down another alley. A loud vibrating sound echoed in her back pocket. She coughed as loud as she could, trying to cover the sound of her phone ringing. Barsad stopped and looked down at her.

Nice try.

He used his free hand to dig in her back pocket and pull out her old smartphone. It was Ray. He was probably calling to check up on her. Barsad looked at the screen for a second before looking up at her. He gave her another smirk before tossing her phone against a big brick building. It shattered against a brick building. There went her other chance of escaping.

“So, brown hair, brown eyes, and big beard. Is that what you like now?” He asked in a whisper.

Simone snapped her head up in his direction. “He’s an acquaintance. I steal cars for him for money. It's how I pay my bills.”

He didn't bother looking at her. He just kept trooping down the alley until they reached a sewer cap. Simone stopped and looked down, thinking to herself , “oh hell no.” It moved and she saw another mercenary peak up through the hole. He moved the cap over to the side and disappeared again. She let another sigh and turned to Barsad. He motioned her with his head and she climbed down the metal ladder into the tunnels.

She told herself a thousand times not to be surprised but every corner she took she couldn't believe what she saw. People from the city were using power tools and building something in the sewers. She could hear them from far away. Then a thought came to her head and she stopped. She turned to Barsad who was holding his rifle in his hands.

“Is he going to kill me?” She asked.

Barsad looked up ahead of them and again motioned for her to keep walking. She turned and went back to walking forward. One thing she couldn't complain about was that it wasn't cold in the sewers. It felt like she was jumping into a soma. And where ever they were going it didn't have a bad stench like she thought it would. When she came to an open space she opened her mouth and brought her eyes to the construction workers.

They were up in a harness building something. Her guess was Bane's lair. He needed a place to hide where he would be safe and not exposed or have a paper trail. Paper trails were really a pain in ass. Simone knew. She already knew that was probably how Bane had tracked her down.

Barsad turned to the men behind him. “Let me see the bag. Go do something useful.”

Simone watched as the men walked away, still carrying the one man that she knocked out. He was gonna wake up well rested like never before. She began to get anxious after that but she didn't let Barsad see it. If Bane was going to kill her she didn't dare give him the satisfaction of showing him how much he scared her. Of course he scared her but he scared every single person he came face to face with. It wasn't just the mask that had people pissing in their pants, it was his towering height, and his crazy huge muscles. Not to mention he didn't have problems snapping people's neck with literally one hand. The guy was death in a mask.

As Barsad came up beside her she let out another sigh and told herself to relax. Her body refused to acknowledge her brains request. So she trembled. Barsad rounded a corner and she saw him.

Bane was crouching on the floor, doing something but Simone couldn't see. All she could see was his huge muscular back and a few things around him. The spot he was in was like some kind room or resting area. There were some bright lights hanging over a bed that had a big fluffy pillow. Then beside his bed there was a little silver teapot. She couldn't say anything because whether Bane drank tea or not he could still spoon feed people with their own vertebrae.

“Simone, why are you here?” Bane's strange voice was loud and very intimidating as usual.

The question puzzled Simone so she lifted an eyebrow and tucked her arms over her chest. “You're the one who sent them to find me. I believe I should be asking you that.”

Bane finally stood and his big size immediately shrunk her like a little child and an adult. Bane was about 6 feet 3 inches tall and Simone was only 5 feet and 2 inches. Her old friend was 5 feet and 10 inches tall so he stood taller than her too. But Bane was a Goddamn skyscraper. When he turned around she looked into his brown eyes only for a second as he approached her. He looked down at her as he took his final step, challenging her. She kept her eye contact until she suddenly remembered that the man in front of her could break her like a glass plate.

“I meant in Gotham.” Bane replied.

She brought her green eyes back to the masked man before slowly bringing them down his body. He was shirtless, showing off every single muscle he had. Simone knew he was big and had a lot of muscle but she didn't know he was that big.

“It's my hometown, Bane. Why wouldn't I be here?”

Bane kept his cold brown eyes on her as he held out his hand to Barsad. His second in command handed him the black duffle bag. Simone watched as Bane unzipped the bag and studied everything in it. His brown eyes went back to Simone then back to inside the bag.

“2 Beretta cougars, 2 Beretta 92FS, 1 Glock 17, 1 IMO UZi, and 2 12 gauge shotguns.” Bane sounded impressed as he listed off all the guns that were found in her apartment.

“She also has bow and arrows back at her apartment. There was no room for it in the bag.” Barsad added in.

“And 3 illegal daggers.” She finished off the list.

Bane placed the bag behind him on the ground and went back to staring her down.

“Now what is a girl like you doing with all these weapons?” Bane asked.

“Thugs, murderers, rapists, and mercenaries. They all manage to live under the same roof as me from time to time.” She explained.

He stood quiet for a second and then turned to Barsad. “Leave us.” He ordered.

That was always Bane’s que when he was going to kill somebody. Simone reached out and grabbed Barsad's jacket while staring at Bane in fear. When she turned to Barsad he shook his head and pulled his arm so she no longer had a grip on his jacket. As soon as Barsad was completely gone Bane held his arm out. She expected for him to grip her neck and snap it as he had done to so many others.

Those warm slender fingers reached out to touch her cheek. Brown eyes against green eyes stared in each other's soul. Simone felt the thunderbolt shock right through her system. Face to face with one of the men she had tried staying away from made her become completely glued to the ground. She couldn't run away even if there was a chance.

He stopped his fingers before they could brush against her skin and pulled his hand away. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The League of Shadows in Gotham could only mean one thing. . The fire had started.

“What happened to your eye?” Bane asked.

Simone felt her cheeks reddened from embarrassment. “When fighting your men, one of them tripped me and I sort of face planted my TV stand.”

The hard look in his eyes softened as he stepped back. The big man almost looked like he might have smiled under that muzzle like mask of his.

“I usually kill those who oppose me. You drugged me and then ran without my permission. When I had taken you in you came willingly. Did you not?” He asked.

Simone couldn't really reply so she just nodded her head in agreement. It was true. When she was younger she had wanted to go with the League of Shadows. And Bane had taken her in, trained her, and made sure she had food and clothes to cover her back. But if Simone had known the price of it all she would have stayed on the streets.

“You will stay and you will help us finish our mission.” Bane kept his strange mechanical voice strong as he turned his back.

Simone concentrated on the light pink scar going down his spine. She was pulled back to reality by a pair of footsteps coming up from behind her.

“Barsad take Simone to her bed. She needs to rest that eye. Tomorrow she will put ice on it.”

Simone turned to Barsad and began to follow him. He lead her down another tunnel where there was a set up almost like Bane’s but her little rest area had a metal door on it. So it was more like a prison cell. But she supposed that was what she got for running. She turned to Barsad and watched as he pulled out a key.

He opened the door and motioned for her to get in. She stepped in the small cell like room and observed it. She had a bed, a small fridge, a small sink with a little mirror above it. It almost felt like a prison cell. Except there was no toilet.

“You will get some personal items when Bane permits them.” Barsad closed the door and locked it.

“You're still mad at me Barsad?” She asked.

Barsad may not have been a man that showed emotions but he never acted like such a robot to her before.

“Are you still mad at me for bringing you back? For forcing you to finish what we all started together?” He asked, looking in her eyes.

She sealed her mouth shut. She sure was mad at him for bringing her back. And she was pissed about her black eye that was almost completely swollen shut. Barsad raised his eyebrows and made a gesture as if to say “there you have it” and turned and walked away.

Simone approached the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Yeah, she took a strong hit from her TV stand, alright. But that wasn't what made her leave the League of Shadows. It wasn't the abuse, the different positions of authority, and it wasn't Bane or Barsad that drove her away. It was what they really believed in. It was their true objective.

While she was a decent soldier and could fight fine along with working as a grifter, she also had a hobby. Simone liked to build things and not just any type of thing. She particularly liked to build weapons and when Bane saw her potential he had decided to take her in. She built many things that Bane used and sometimes she did too. But it wasn't until she built her final invention that she realized just what the League of Shadows really did.

Simone turned around and lifted up her shirt to see a dark pink burn scar on the middle of her back. It had the shape of a thick thunderbolt going sideways but ended just before it reached her sides.

And Simone had learned the hard way that even when someone like her played with fire. . . They could end up burned.


	3. Debt is due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A debt must be paid for her betrayal. At least it's something that won't keep her up late at night.

When Simone was 15 years old she had gotten arrested for stealing chemicals from her school. She wasn't big into chemistry. She just liked the reactions she got when she mixed the right chemicals. Unfortunately being a 15 year old street rat left her no place to go so she allowed herself to get caught. It was a plus on her end because she was out of the cold and stuck in a warm interrogation room. That was the first time she had captured the attention of a certain terrorist organization.

She had turned 16 just after her release and had went back to old habits. Though she was more cautious she found herself in trouble yet again after creating a very small bomb on accident. Or so she claimed. She was sitting in an interrogation room again, wearing a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of blue double lined jeans. Her black and white converse shoes were old and falling apart. She was bouncing her leg up and down and chewing on her finger nails as she waited for a detective to come in and talk to her.

When the door opened she expected to deal with the same female detective as before but it wasn't a girl. Her eyes landed on the man and she instantly felt her stomach drop. The man looked relatively young, somewhere in his 20’s. He had short dark brown hair that was lifted up in the front just a little. His blue eyes immediately met her and she pulled her hand away from her mouth. She sat up and watched as the man seated himself across from her. He was wearing a plain black shirt that seemed just a little loose on him. Even with his wide forehead, Simone declared him as the hottest detective ever. There was also something familiar about him but she couldn't place it.

“Simone Vares.” His voice carried an accent of some sort.

That made Simone press her back into the chair and look closer at the man. When he leaned forward into the light she got the right view of his face. She recognized him! He was the man that caught her hiding a gun in an alley behind a dumpster. Even though he could have called the cops on her he just smiled at her and gave her advice as to where to hide a gun. It was hard to see all of him but when he turned and a light from the building shined she caught a good look at him.

“You're that guy from the alley.” She commented.

The man smiled at her. “I am. I am also the man with your file.” He held up the manilla folder and opened it. “You like to build things, don't you?” He asked.

Simone looked the man in the eye. “I don't know what you mean.”

The man held his smile as though he was impressed with her reaction. “I'm talking about the bomb.”

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. “Bomb? I don't understand. Why would I build a bomb? I'm trying to become a FBI agent, I already started looking at the colleges.”

“When you were 13 you built a knife in the sole of your shoes. You were caught with it and got expelled from school for a year. Then at 15 you were caught stealing chemicals and now you found yourself caught again because you made a bomb.”

The man continued reading her information. “Child services think your with some rich people and they think you're with child services. It looks like your parents died in a house fire. Your father tried to kill the whole family but only you survived.”

Simone kept a sad confused look on her face. She knew what he was talking about but she learned very well how to adopt on the streets. She became a good actor. A grifter if you pleased.

“I don't-”

“Simone, let's cut the bullshit. Before you continue your very good act, I think you should know something.” He leaned his arms on the table and leaned forward. “I am not a cop or a detective. There is a reason why you are here and it's not because you got caught.” He began to explain.

Simone's light and sweet facade turned into her hard bitch self. She put on her resting bitch face and stared him down. She wasn't that gullible. So she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to continue.

“As a matter of fact, I've been watching you for a while now.” He continued.

Simone raised her eyebrows. “Uh-oh stalker alert.”

The grinned again at her retorts. “My name is Barsad and I'm here to offer you a job you can't refuse.”

Simone scanned the man with her eyes. “Really?” She asked.

And he was right. As soon as Simone found out she would have a shelter and be able to actually the things she wanted to make she was ecstatic. If she remembered what Christmas felt like, at the time, she probably would have agreed that Christmas came early. Barsad escorted her on a few planes where she then met Bane and thus became the second female to ever join the League of Shadows.

The sound of running water was the first thing Simone heard when being pulled from her sleep. She opened her eyes and saw Bane looking down at her. She let out a gasp and sat up, completely blindsided by her company. It had been a while since she woken up with someone in the same bed as her. It certainly had never been Bane either so his appearance in her bed made her confused.

Bane wasn't completely in her bed. He was sitting on the side, looking down at her with his brown eyes. His mask made his breathing noticeable. Simone was surprised him walking up to her didn't wake her up.

“You must have been tired.” Bane commented.

Simone nodded her head very gently because her eye was killing her. “Yes I did, thank you.” She answered politely.

“After you put ice on your eye I want you to come see me. We have things to discuss like your debt and how you will pay it off.” Bane kept looking at her as he spoke.

He pushed off the bed and let out a quiet groan in pain. Simone felt sympathetic towards the masked giant. She couldn't imagine feeling so much all the time. Just her black eye was driving her crazy but for Bane, his pain was way worse. She could tell. Sometimes it sounded like his breathing became labored even with the mask on. It was a sound that managed to haunt her. The mask may have kept the pain at bay but it was still constant and she gave Bane the utmost respect for dealing with it.

Simone noticed the small bowl of ice with a white face cloth hanging in it and gave her head a nod. Bane reached up and held onto the sides of his vest that he was wearing. She remembered Bane always held onto his vest or the chest area of his jackets. She never knew why and never bothered asking. She just observed as she was sitting up in her bed. His brown eyes stayed on her face and she wondered what he was thinking.

“Don't let this happen again. You're more useful alive then you are dead.” Bane commented before leaving her alone.

As soon as he was out of her sight she let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. Despite her history with Bane she knew he wouldn't hesitate snapping her like a twig. He definitely had the strength to do it with all the muscle he had. The man had such big arms and hands it was scary just to be around him sometimes.

But as she did many years ago, she took his words of advice and did as she was told. She placed ice on the face cloth and gently held it over her aching eye. The sound of running water was all she had to keep her company and she accepted that. Then another sound came in. It sounded like power tools up by the ceiling. She already knew what they were doing. Installing explosives both above and underground. She would know, it was her idea.

Her alone time didn't last long because Barsad came by with a pile of clothes in his hands. They weren't clothes from Simone's apartment, they were the clothes she wore when she was in the League of Shadows. She honestly never expected to see them again.  
Especially the red scarf. It was the same scarf that Barsad had wrapped around his neck.

Her clothes weren't like the rest of the mercenaries. They were picked out by Talia Al Ghul when she first accepted Simone into the League with Bane. Instead of a bunch of heavy army clothes Talia picked out lighter clothes for her. She had dark brown cargo pants with a matching belt, a dark grey long sleeve shirt that went under her small black bullet proof vest (it didn't cover much but she was thankful to have the armour), a brown motorcycle style leather jacket, and a pair of matching combat boots.

“Enough ice for now. Get dressed so we can go see Bane.” Barsad spoke with his usual accent.

Simone put her ice and rag back in the bowl and turned to the ! mercenary. He showed no signs of leaving and Simone was content with it. She would rather it be Barsad watching her change clothes than any other mercenary. He may have been a terrorist but he never would have tried taking advantage of her.

She turned her back and lifted her black long sleeve off first and then dropped her pants. After changing into clean black undergarments, she put on her cargo pants and belt. The whole time she could feel Barsad's gaze practically burning into her skin. As much as she wanted to peak over her shoulder she decided against it and went on to tying the red scarf around her waist as she used to wear it.

“It's not right. Here, I'll help.” Barsad stepped right behind her and began fixing the red scarf.

The closeness of his body caused the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Or maybe it was his hot breath on her bare back. Either way it gave her the chills and the two of them fell into an awkward silence. She didn't like him being able to see her burn scar but she loved feeling his eyes on her. She loved it more when she felt his warm fingertips press into her lower back.

“The scar on your back looks good. Better than I remember.”

Simone felt a sudden warmth flood in her gut. “I was afraid it would have never healed.”

“You’ve always healed gracefully.” Barsad removed his fingertips from her back and went back to tying the knot in the scarf. “All done, now finish getting dressed.”

Simone quickly put on her hair grey long sleeve shirt and coat before tying up her combat boots. When she turned around Barsad was still staring at her with those cold blue eyes of his. Those eyes dragged down her body before returning to her face. Neither of them spoke. They didn't have to. So Barsad turned on his feet and and began heading to Bane’s little rest area.

As they passed tunnels Simone came to a clearing where she could see little waterfalls. From far back she could see all metal ladders and the way they had formed the sewers into. Everything was connected. They went up a few flights of stairs and rounded a corner where Bane was clearly waiting for them. Bane's eyes landed on Simone before turning to Barsad. Like always Barsad dug in his pocket, pulled something out and handed it to Bane. It looked like a little transmitter of some sort.

“Seem familiar?” Bane asked in his strange mechanical voice.

He was talking about her last invention. When she had became an official member in the League of Shadows Bane wanted to test her skills in explosives. She showed him all the artistic ways she could make simple things so dangerous. Like a can of soda or a remote to a car, and then came her latest idea. It was what she called a reverse transaction bomb. It was like every other explosive weapon but it had been reversed. The bomb itself was the detonator. Who ever pushed the button had 30 seconds to run before they became pink mist.

While it was a great idea it was also the biggest mistake she had ever made.

“Yeah that's the last one I ever made.” She grabbed the detonator from Bane and opened it.

Then frowned when she realized it was like the last one she made but it wasn't the one she made. Whoever made this one didn't know what they were doing. There were wires crossed all wrong and whatever chemicals were in it. . . They definitely didn't smell like the right ones. Either that or they were way too old and had lost their flare.

“Or not.” She looked up at Bane.

“We’ve tried recreating your interesting little invention and somehow can't get it right.” Bane reached forward and held his massive hand over Simone's shoulder. “You will be given supplies, I expect you to make three bombs like this. But they need to work. I trust that even after 7 years you still haven't lost your touch.” Bane retracted his hand and went to holding his vest.

She turned and looked at Barsad who didn't even offer her a glance. She let out a sigh and went back to looking Bane in his dark eyes. “I'll make a list of what I need. When will you need them by?” She asked.

“Tomorrow.” Bane answered.

“Tomorrow? Bane that's a lot of work.” Simone argued.

“You have a lot of debt that is due. I expect nothing but the best.” Bane reminded her.

Simone felt her frustration cloud her brain and she had the urge to stomp her feet like a little child. But it was Bane's orders, or possibly Talia’s. Either way, they were above her and she was to do what they said. That, and she didn't have the guts to the giant in front of her. She pitied whoever did because Bane knew how to break people. He did it well. When he broke Simone he reshaped her and turned her into something stronger and because of that the two shared a bond.

“Paper and pen?” She asked Barsad.

Barsad dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small notepad with a little pen attached to it. She instantly began writing down the list of supplies she needed. When she finished she handed it back to Barsad who was still quiet. He held up the notepad and spoke only two words.

“No problem.”

While Barsad helped obtain the supplies Bane allowed Simone to have some personal items like her toothbrush and her hair brush. It was all in a black duffle bag. Simone was brushing her teeth Bane came up from behind her. She heard his footsteps and spit out the remaining toothpaste and water. Before she could even turn around Bane placed his big palm over the back of her neck. Simone's body froze and she held in her breath. Just one squeeze and he would crush her neck. Her body trembled and she felt her heart pound.

“I do hope Simone, this is the last time you run.”

Simone didn't speak at all she remained silent and stared at the wall and sink In front of her. She slowly nodded her head and waited for Bane to release her neck. He wasn't squeezing it but just having his palm over it was enough to make any man piss himself.

“Make the weapons and after that I will train you again. Barsad says you are off and you need a touch up.” Bane released her.

She turned around to face Bane. “I'm not off. Just a little rusty.” Simone argued.

“Barsad says you need it and I believe him. I trust the one who stayed over the one who ran away like a coward.” Bane replied.

Simone kept eye contact with Bane and stepped in the space between them. She had to tilt her head up since she was only at chest level with him. They both kept quiet but Bane's breathing could be heard loud and clear.

“Tomorrow then. I'll have the detonators ready and I'll prove the both of you wrong.” She challenged.

Bane raised his eyebrows as if impressed but didn't say anything to prove it. Instead he just stood there holding his vest.

“I look forward to it.” He replied before turning around and walking away.

Simone ran right beside Bane. “Wait! My guns. Where are they?” She asked.

Bane looked down at her.

“I'm entitled to them Bane.” She pointed out.

“You will get your weapons when I feel you deserve them.” Bane answered and proceeded to walk away from her.

She tightened her ponytail and walked back to her spot. Training with Bane was going to kill her. She was out of practice whether she wanted to admit it or not. She didn't fight and go on missions constantly like before. She didn't have to. Now she was regretting it.  
Now she was going to get her ass kicked again because her mouth just wrote a check that her ass couldn't cash.

“Fuck me.” She whispered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope this is enjoyed. I will update when I can. . . Hopefully soon

**Author's Note:**

> Shits about to get real folks keep reading.


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